Growing up with a Cleft
Twenty-four years ago, I was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, and twenty-six surgeries later, I stand here today.
Until I finished High School, I looked different than everyone else; my teeth were not straight, my nose was abnormally sized, and I had a public speech impediment. My self-esteem was low, to the point where I dreaded going back to school, which resulted in finishing high school a semester late.
Growing up with a cleft is no pleasant journey, but I firmly believe it shaped me into the person I am today. There’s a popular song by Johnny Cash called A boy named Sue. The song is about a boy who was bullied into adulthood because his name was that of girls. The boy met his father after many decades for the first time in a bar and asked his father why he named him Sue, the father explained that he knew he wouldn’t be there for him and wanted him to grow up strong and by having a unique name, it would shape him into a tough man.
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In a way, I compare myself to Sue, growing up without a father, and being picked on throughout grade school for looking different, turned me into one tough cookie!
Throughout the years, I had always thought of a cleft as a burden, or just being dealt a bad hand, I’m here to tell you that it isn’t!
Being born with a cleft has taught me to to make some pretty bold moves in my life, it taught me that it’s okay for people not to like you, it’s okay to be rejected, it’s okay to fail, and its okay to be different. Once I fully adopted this mindset, I was completely unstoppable!
So to the parents of a cleft child, individuals who have a cleft, or anyone out there that feels like they don’t quite fit in, I’m here to tell you it’s okay! Being different sets you apart from everyone else and brings opportunities that people would kill to have. Embrace failure and learn to love being rejected, it’s that simple. I would also like to thank all the great doctors out there who put an unsurmountable amount of time into helping me become the person I am today.
